Exclusive to Melbourne, a stage adaptation of one of the world’s most iconic stories, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, comes only to Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne for a strictly limited season from 23 May 2020.
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest will see visionary director Tyran Parke bring the monumental Ken Kesey novel to life, reuniting him with set and costume designer Dann Barber and sound designer Michael Waters from this year’s critically acclaimed Barnum the Musical. Lighting design is by Trent Suidgeest.
Award-winning Australian actor, Lachy Hulme (Offspring, Beaconsfield, Romper Stomper) stars as the anarchistic Randle Patrick McMurphy – a role made famous by Jack Nicholson in the 1975 film. Regarded as one of Australia’s most versatile and transformative actors, Hulme won both the Silver Logie Award and the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor for his portrayal of Sir Frank Packer in Power Games: The Packer-Murdoch Story. He has also appeared in Rush, Beaconsfield, It’s A Date, Gallipoli, The Secret River and the sequel to Romper Stomper.
An emotional rollercoaster, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest centres around a struggle for status between McMurphy and the unforgettable Nurse Ratched. A power-play between the two catapults audiences into a world of emotional button-pushing, chaos and rebellion. As we meet each patient and delve into their world, this play will both shock and delight in the most unexpected ways.
Playwright Dale Wasserman adapted One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest from the novel by Ken Kesey; the play opened on Broadway in 1963 with Kirk Douglas as McMurphy, Ed Ames as the Chief and Gene Wilder as Billy. In 1975, a film version helmed by Milos Forman was released and starred Jack Nicholas as Randle Patrick McMurphy and Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched.
It was the second film to win all five major Academy Awards (Best Picture, Actor in Lead Role, Actress in Lead Role, Director, and Screenplay), following It Happened One Night in 1934, an accomplishment not repeated until 1991 by The Silence of the Lambs.
Dale Wasserman has worn almost every theatre hat from lighting designer to producer and director. His abrupt career change to writer has seen success in every performance venue. His theatre credits include, Man of La Mancha, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Beggar’s Holiday, Western Star, How I Saved the Whole Damn World, An Enchanted Land, and his most recent work A Walk in the Sky.
Television and feature film credits include The Power and the Glory, Circle of Death, Perchance to Dream, Cleopatra, and Aboard the Flying Swan. He has received over forty-five awards including Emmys, Tonys, Ellys, and Robys. His two most popular plays, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Man of La Mancha, have made him one of the most produced American playwrights worldwide. He died in 2008.
“I’m delighted to bring One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest to Melbourne for an exclusive season in 2020,” said Producer Adrian Storey. “Collaborating again with Tyran Parke after Barnum the Musical is a fantastic opportunity and casting Lachy Hulme is a joy. I can’t wait to bring this classic novel to life on stage: it’s an event audiences won’t want to miss.”
Audiences are invited to enter the asylum, take your seat and discover this timeless tale in a way you could have never imagined. Further cast to be announced at a later date. Tickets on sale from 31 October – join the waitlist at: www.cuckoosnest.com.au
Image: Lachy Hulme to star as Randle Patrick McMurphy in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (supplied)